


Lost and Found

by introspecticskeptic



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-19 02:37:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17593028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/introspecticskeptic/pseuds/introspecticskeptic
Summary: When a missing person is called into the park rangers, Kaidan jumps at the chance to give his Search and Rescue-to-be dog a chance on a real run.John Shepard is just counting the days until he can finally make a decision about what to do with his life.And Kosmo, the aforementioned dog, is just super excited to be out in the forest.





	Lost and Found

“Hello?  My name is Ashley.  My roommate, Shepard.  Sorry, John Shepard, he went camping and he, he hasn’t come back yet and I can’t reach him.  I’ve, I called the police and everything but I’m really worried.  He isn’t, well.”  A sigh and a shuffle.  “He isn’t okay.  He’s in a bad place right now and I’m worried.  The police said they would try to find him, but please.  Please, help him!”

 

Anderson sat down on the desk and kicked his feet out, his boots thunking on the worn wooden floor.  “What do you think, Alenko?”

Kaidan sighed as he took a sip of his coffee.  It was barely coffee, but it was caffeinated and that was enough for right now.  “Well, if it’s a breakup gone bad we need to let the police settle it.”  Anderson nodded but Kaidan continued.  “But I have a feeling that this isn’t that.  She’s panicked.  Not scared or worried.”

"Call’s yours on this one, Alenko.”

“Well, Kosmo needs some training on the ground still – I’ll take him and just walk the paths.  He alerts I’ll mark it and let the police know.”  He got to his feet and grabbed his hat, “Well, I’ll head home and grab Kosmo.  Hold down the fort?”

Anderson laughed, “Don’t worry Alenko – have fun playing with Kosmo.”

“Thanks boss.”

 

Shepard sat down on the rock and gladly shucked his pack.  The sun was starting to set but Shepard knew there was some time yet to go before the darkness really set in.  Rolling his shoulders, Shepard closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the forest around him.  Birds called to each other as something moved through the underbrush behind him.  Eventually the sun setting caused the light to shine directly on him and Shepard finally moved from his rock and pulled out a tarp from his pack.  He set up a simple lean-to and pulled out a small bundle that he unrolled to a small sleeping bag.  Crawling into his bag Shepard watched the darkness overtake the day.

 

“Kosmo, you find anything?”  Kosmo sniffed a tree and whined.  Kaidan scratched his head, “It’s okay, boy.  Let’s try somewhere new.”  Leading him down the path, Kaidan looked around and found himself wondering about the missing man.

They had reached out to Ashley and found out more about John’s “dark place” and the events that had led up to his vanishing.  Anderson had reached out to the police and confirmed that Ashley had filed a report about Shepard.  The police were conducting their own search, but Kaidan asked to be allowed to keep searching with Kosmo as part of his training.  The police had consented, but only in areas they had already searched.

So, they searched in areas trampled by other searchers and their own dogs while Kosmo continued to find nothing.  It was a practice in futility Kaidan thought.  But Kosmo seemed to be having fun sniffing trees so Kaidan continued.

Kosmo’s barking shook his from his reverie.  “What’s up boy?”  Kosmo lay down and chuffed softly.  Kaidan examined the tree as Kosmo’s tail wagged vigorously.  It took a moment but Kaidan finally found what Kosmo had alerted on.  It was a bit of rope tied around a branch.  Kaidan picked it up and examined it, noting that it had been cut with a sharp blade.  Putting it back, Kaidan pulled out his GPS and noted his coordinated and flagged the find.

Handing Kosmo a treat, Kaidan looked around and tried to think like he thought Shepard would think.

_If I was ready to die, where would I go?_

 

Shepard frowned as he shook the bag.  Only crumbs fell into his hand and he tossed them at the tree line, reasoning a few crumbs wouldn’t kill something.  Besides, it wasn’t even real chocolate in the cookies.  He put the bag back into his pack and pulled out his compass and map.  It had been ages since he had to orienteer, but a few quick videos had him back to using it comfortably.  The map had been printed from the internet and he’d put various markers on it to help him find the falls.

The reviews of the part all said that the falls were beautiful and well worth the hike to them.  One review had even said “life-alteringly beautiful”.  Shepard doubted it, after all they were just waterfalls, but nevertheless they were his ultimate goal.  He pulled out his compass and settled down against the stump to figure out his path.  According to the map he was off course a bit but nothing major.  A quick turn to the right and then following the river would lead him directly to the falls.  Satisfied with his progress, he put the map away and stretched out, scratching at his new beard.

He had left faster than he would have liked and forgot to bring his razor to shave with.  But with the police surely looking for him, perhaps leaving behind pieces of himself for them to find was a bad idea.

Still, he found himself liking the beard.  It was something new and alien for him – he could almost believe that he was a new person as well.

He looked up and realized that he had at most two hours of sunlight left.  His food stocks were a bit low, so he looked through his pack.  Aside from a knife he didn’t have anything to hunt with.  Looking back over his food stocks he realized he would need to hunt or scavenge something.

“Dammit.”  He grumped.  Of course, the one time he needed to save food he ate it all.  But whenever he needed to eat more (being “chronically underweight” was not a good thing in the Navy) he could go for days on a limited rations.  Another bad side of hunting would be that he would need to set traps and check them.  Which meant time spent doing that would be time not spent hiking to the falls.

“Spilled milk and all that shit, Shepard.”  With that he got to his feet and slung his pack back over his shoulders.  Two hours of light meant an hour and a half of hiking.

 

Kaidan opened the door to the headquarters and slumped onto the cot as Kosmo headed to his bowl and started to noisily eat.  Kaidan shucked his boots and flexed his toes with a satisfied sigh.

“Kosmo?”  The eating stilled.  “Do you think Shepard wants to be found?”  Kosmo continued his feasting leaving Kaidan alone with his thoughts.

He pulled out his phone and pulled up the picture of John Ashley had sent them.  He was saluting in his white uniform and Kaidan wondered who he was saluting for.  But Kaidan also had another concern – John was a former soldier with training and an interest in survival strategies.  If he didn’t want to be found – how hard would this be?

And there was the fact that Ashley had said that John was… Kaidan shook his head.  He couldn’t even fathom that feeling.  Kaidan shook his head.  This wasn’t about him.  “Kosmo, we’re going to find him, okay?  You with me buddy?”

Kosmo hopped up on the cot and snuggled up against him.  Determined, Kaidan closed his eyes and fell asleep.

 

Shepard hoisted himself over the last rock and gratefully sat on the driest rock he could find.  Looking over the falls as they tumbled down the sheer rock face, Shepard had to agree, the view was worth the hike.  Maybe not life-changing, but worth it nonetheless.  He set his pack down and lay down on it, enjoying the warm sun on his face.

The rumbling of the falls nearby lulled him into a trance broken by the sound of someone shouting his name.

“John Shepard?”

Shepard grumbled but held still, deepening his breathing.

“John?  Kosmo, stay.  John Shepard?”  The voice – a deep masculine one – was closer and seemed undeterred by John’s acting.  Soon enough, a shadow blocked out the warm sun and John finally opened his eyes to glare at the man.

“You’re standing in my light,” he grumped.

The man stepped to the side.  “Sorry about that.  My name is Ranger Alenko, Park Service.  I’m looking for a man named John Shepard.  Have you seen him?”

John rolled his eyes.  “How should I know?  I just got here.  Haven’t seen anyone all day.”  He shut his eyes and settled back down.

“Well, there’s also the issue that he might be in danger.  And I really need to find him so that he doesn’t get hurt,” Ranger Alenko continued.

“Well, good luck with that, Sir.”

Shepard heard Alenko shuffle around a bit before he stopped moving.  The jingle of metal told Shepard that Alenko was still near.  “Something I can help you with, Ranger Alenko?”

“Maybe,” Alenko admitted.  “But I would like it if I could know who I’m talking with.”

“Call me JD,” Shepard said with a slight laugh.

“JD?

“John Doe.  The name given to unidentified men.  Cause that’s what I am, an unidentified man with no name.”

“Okay, nice to meet you John,” Alenko said happily.

“Likewise, Ranger Alenko,” John said with no kindness in his voice.  The roaring waterfall nearby provided plenty of white noise and John found himself lulled by it.

“Hey John,” Kaidan said suddenly, “if you don’t mind me asking, have you seen someone walking around nearby here, probably off the trails?”

“Nope, I just got here a bit ago.  Haven’t seen anyone but you,” John said at length.

“Oh.”

The pair lapsed into silence once again and John could feel the ranger dying to ask more questions.  “I take it you’re a talker?”  John said matter-of-factory.

“Somewhat,” Alenko admitted.  “Comes with the job I think.  I teach a lot of classes and do a lot of publicity things.  I like talking about things.  I find that it makes things easier to deal with if you talk about them.”

“Hmm.  Interesting,” John said a bit snidely.

“I take it you’re a watcher then.”

“A watcher?”  John cracked an eye and looked at Alenko.

“Yeah.  Like my boss.  Doesn’t say a lot, but he always seems to know just what’s up.”

“Fascinating.”

Another shuffle and slight jingle.  “Ranger Alenko, if I am not the man you are looking for, might I suggest moving along?”

“I will, I promise,” Alenko said.  “But I’m waiting for the police to finish their sweep before I take Kosmo though there.”

Shepard opened an eye and looked over, “and why is that?”

Alenko smiled, but Shepard did not return it.  “Well, he’s still not certified as an S and R dog.  Keeps getting distracted.  So…”

“So, you can’t officially help with the search,” Shepard said flatly.

 Alenko nodded.  “Yup, but Kosmo needs the practice and he has fun doing this so it’s worth it.”

“The dog has fun searching for dead people?  That’s grim.”

“Oh, no,” Alenko informed him.  “He’s not cadaver-trained.  He only does live S and R’s.  I don’t have the stomach for the cadaver ones!”

John was silent for a while, enjoying the sound of the falls when he finally broke down and asked Alenko a question.  “So, what would happen if you found this Shepard?  Would you arrest him?”

“God no!”  Alenko said emphatically.  “My job is to make sure he’s okay, the last thing I want is him in trouble or hurt!”

“When what are you doing here?  Why are you harassing me if you’re not going to do anything?”

“I’m sorry if you think I’m harassing you.  But I just.”  He fell silent.  “Kosmo, come.”  John could hear the tinkle of thin metal grow closer and the panting of a good-sized dog.  “His roommate reached out to us and is really worried about him.  Sounds like she thinks of him like a brother.”

“Oh?”  John said, trying to hide the pain in his chest.  Of course, Ashley would be involved.  Why she cared was beyond him.

“And, being honest.”  Alenko fell silent.

Finally, John opened his eyes and saw Alenko staring off into the distance with a sad smile.  “Being honest?”  No response.  “Ranger Alenko?”

“Sorry,” he wiped his eye and hugged Kosmo closer.  “I’ve been where he is.  I had a bad childhood and I almost gave up.  I was ready to stop trying at all.”

Oh.  John sat up, unsure of how to respond.  Emotions always eluded him, but for some reason he wanted to hear the rest of the story.  “How, how did you continue?”

Alenko turned and offered a hand to John.  “My name is Kaidan.”

John shook it, surprised by how gentle the touch was.  “John.”

“I know, John Doe, right?”  Kaidan said with a kind chuckle.

John smiled.  “Yeah, that’s right.”

“Well John.  In return for the story, will you help me with trying to find Mr. Shepard?”

“I’ll think about it.  You have Kosmo the wonder-dog anyway.”

Kosmo turned and seemed to smile, as though he knew they were talking about him.

“Deal.”  Kaidan reached into his fanny pack and pulled out some granola bars, offering one to John who took it.  “To make a long story short, I did some dumb shit when I was a teen, ended up getting into a situation I shouldn’t have been in and,” his voice died off.

John nodded, “you did something you regret – something you can’t ever undo.”

Kaidan nodded.  “Yeah.  I wasn’t charged with anything, but I think that was even worse.  I got to walk away from something that someone else didn’t.”

John nodded, “I get that.  I really do.”

Kaidan looked over and studied John.  “I’m sorry.  It’s a terrible feeling to carry.”

John nodded and looked away, suddenly shy.  “Well, it’s par for the course in my line of duty.”  He shook his head.  “My life, you know?”

A sudden hand on his shoulder had John tensing.  “I’m sorry John.  I wish there was something I could do to help.”

John almost shrugged the hand off, but something about it felt comforting so it stayed until Kaidan pulled it off.  “Could, could you tell me the end of your story?”

“My story?  The one about making mistakes?”

“Yeah.”  John said simply.

“Well, what do you want to know?  The failed relationships?  The coming out to my parents?  The horror story that was my freshman year of college?”

“Sounds like my autobiography!”  John joked before growing serious.  “But no, how did you go from all that to here?  To talking with some stranger by a waterfall?”

Kaidan nodded as he looked out over the vista.  “To be honest, John?”  He smiled and rubbed Kosmo’s ears.  “I broke down.  I admitted to myself that something was wrong and let myself be bad,” he explained.

John nodded.  “And then?”

“Then I got help and tried my best to get better.  Still working on it, but I think it’s helped.”

John nodded before finally sitting up.  “Okay.”

“Okay?”  Kaidan asked.

“I’m going to go home now I think.”

Kaidan nodded, “Okay, need help getting out?”

John shook his head, “No thanks.  I want some time to myself I think.”

Kaidan got up and called Kosmo to him.  “Well, good luck Mr. Doe.  If you see Mr. Shepard, let him know that we’re looking out for him?”

John nodded, still sitting.  As Kaidan started to leave, John called out to him.  “Hey, Kaidan?”

Kaidan turned.  “Yeah?”

“Once I get done with my stuff, want to grab coffee or something?  My treat?”

“I’d like that.  Besides, you owe me your life story since you know mine.”

“It’s a date then?”  John asked, a smile finally on his lips.

“It’s a date.”

 


End file.
